How Will You Get Your Ideas "Into the Wild?" - Learn to Code

Like so many people, I've always looked at computer programming as the epitome of geekiness.  Geeky it may be, I've always had a respect for those who actually build the websites and computer functions we all rely so heavily on.  However, I'd never considered it for myself - until now.

Recently I attended South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas.  This was my sophomore year and again, I was blown away by the event.  One thing I learned in my first year at SXSW is that it's important to attend some session that aren't directly aligned with your profession or area of interest.  In many ways, you'll get so much more out of the unexpected things you learn when you step out of your realm of knowledge.

That is exactly what happened.  I attended a session called: Learn How to Code and Make the Software You Want led by two self-taught programmers, Nate Westheimer, Co-Founder, Picturelife Inc. and Vinicius Vacanti, Co-Founder and CEO, Yipit.  A year ago I would of never chosen a session on computer programming.  Now, I'm so glad I did!

The panel started with Nate Westheimer explaining his situation and why he learned to program.  Nate realized he wanted to be a lifelong entrepreneur and programming was solving a very prevalent barrier to that lifestyle.

Previously, (and like so many people who attend SXSW) he had looked for technical co-founders and/or paid a programmer to develop his business ideas.  This pro-longs the failure and iteration cycle as well as the obvious expenses associated with paying a developer.  You've got to sink a huge amount of time and money into an idea before you even know if it's got potential!

Learning to program himself allowed Nate to try tons of ideas at little cost other than his time. Not to mention drastically shortening the failure cycle and freeing up time and resources to try something else.  The value here is clear.  How many ideas have you had that you didn't even take the first step on because of the technical hurdles to actually building something?

Both Nate and Vinicius explained that the goal with programming in an entrepreneurial context is to be able to code just enough to get something "into the wild."  That is, if you know enough to code a prototype, you can get something out there quickly, cheaply, and iterate or move on if it doesn't work - a clear advantage for anyone who wants to start a business.

I was sold rather quickly on learning.  My goal is to be able to build something myself (preferably a business) and I can't think of another skill that would be more beneficial in achieving that goal.

What's more?  Even minimal computer programming and methodology skills make me more marketable in my career and will be extremely helpful when working with developers and technical teams.

So...how will you get your ideas "into the wild?"

P.S.  I'll be doing a related post focusing on the tips from this panel and how I'm going to learn.